Chapter 5 of The Best Policy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Best Policy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked. “I can’t understand her at all. She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you. “‘Never,’ said I. “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
Chapter 5 of The Best Policy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading ““‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading ““A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.”
plural of “indication” — something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading “She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.”
characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
From this reading “She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.”
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading ““‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.”
being perceived or observed
From this reading “She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading ““A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.”
In this reading “She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.”
sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people
In this reading ““‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
divisible by two
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
at any time
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
a young female
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
plural of “indication” — something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “‘Never,’ said I.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
being perceived or observed
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “‘Never,’ said I.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “I can’t understand her at all.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
at the time that
From this reading “‘Not even in the engagement days when he was making love?’ she insisted.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “A most extraordinary girl!” his wife remarked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She asked me in a most ingenuous way if I ever had noticed any indications of heart murmur about you.
Chapter 5 of The Best Policy by Elliott Flower holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 411 sentences of The Best Policy, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Best Policy by Elliott Flower exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Best Policy by Elliott Flower on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3351 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36393 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36393, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 279 minutes of reading across 671 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best Policy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Best Policy to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Best Policy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
